Ricky Martin/Delta Goodrem

Brisbane Entertainment Centre 28.04.2015

With Townsville behind him, Ricky Martin hit Brisbane for the big city debut of his One World 2015 tour. And – wow – talk about staging. Not since Muse turned it on has a stage setup carried so much wattage. When the chief roadie hit the ‘on’ switch you can bet the lights in the CBD dimmed briefly due to the power surge. It wasn’t just the lights that impressed, this thing had multiple stages within stages, boxes within boxes and it beamed out in the distance like that space ship in Close Encounters. But, the fans weren’t here solely for razzle and dazzle, they were here for Ricky who has had reciprocal feelings for Australia since the late 90’s.

Sia, Iggy and others now outsell her: but it still feels like Delta Goodrem is still our ‘Queen of Pop’. The Voice alumni opened the show and send the crowd into early raptures. Her half hour ‘support’ slot gave way to Ricky … who arrived with eight dancers, backing singers and a small army of musicians.

His latino groove kicked in, so the party started swinging from the outset. The Entertainment Centre wasn’t at capacity: but it was pretty bloody close. No expense was spared as Ricky delivered the most energetic show the room has seen since Bruno Mars. The last time the place swung like this was a Gloria Estefan gig aeons ago.

The vibe was up throughout the night: and then it went into interstellar overdrive. Martin made good use of the accompanying video screens which often played montage sequences that allowed one tune to segue to the next. The likes of Come With Me and Shake Your Bon-Bon set the mood. Ricky was chasing maximum engagement with his audience: at one point he virtually conducted a zumba class with the entire house on their feet.

Vuelve was a highlight: though it felt at times Martin wasn’t singing as well as he has in the past. Livin La Vida Loca was as stunning as you’d expect. Bringing a fully functioning Mustang convertible on stage recalled John Travolta in Grease. The dancing barely let up during the two hour set. The musicianship even veered into LA glam … with lots of shredding guitar.

Jackson Thomas impressed during his cameo and Delta (returning for two songs), in Sass & Bide, sang her legs off.

Still, there was the occasional lag … She Bangs has never been a favourite of this reviewer: but that was forgiven when Martin entered the final furlong. La Bomba was sensational: but La Copa de la Vida was out of this world. At 43 Martin must have a portrait tucked away in his loft that does his ageing for him. The energy he had almost twenty years ago is still there. The chart positions may be a bit leaner now, but, as he said himself… he wants to feel the heat. Tonight, Ricky … you brought it.

Sean Sennett